Here you can join other anglers by participating in public discussions, uploading your photos, buying and selling in the classifieds, participating in Free Contests and Free Giveaways, A Young Anglers forum for Anglers under the Age of 16 and much, much more!

Register today for FREE and join the online angler community! If you're not registered, you will not be able to see the rest of our exclusive content! It's easy and it only takes a minute!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact the Outdoor-Fishing Staff.

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

My Shoreline Bait Casting Surf Fishing Rig!

How To Shore Cast For Beginners! Might Be Boring For The Advanced Angler!

This is a "How To" aimed at helping out the beginners who want to start Bait Casting & Surf Fishing from the shore. This is what works for me & may or may not work for everyone. A lot depends on topography, location & targeted species. For those that have fished with me those individuals like to use this type of system. It varies because everyone uses their favorite items (hook types, brand of line, length of leaders, etc)

I'll be using a custom wrapped 13'4" IRW from Charley's Fishing Supply. The reel is a Shimano Ultegra 5500 CI4 loaded with 50lb Jerry Brown Braid. This rig works best using a 3-4oz lead. It's wedged in-between the pier's 2x12 planks in a 1/4in thick sand spike that's 36in long. The spike's tip is resting on top of the pier's cement pylon support. A nylon safety cord with a binner clip ensures the rig's safety if pulled-out. I also added a bell to indicate a strike or a nibble.

The other rig that is highlighted is a 13'3" Daiwa Ballistic (1st Gen) that i got from Charley's Fishing Supply. The reel is a Shimano Ultegra 10K spooled with 50lb Jerry Brown Braid. This rig works best using a 4-6oz lead. It's wedged in-between the pier's 2x12 planks in a 1/4in thick sand spike that's 36in long. The spike's tip is resting on top of the pier's cement pylon support. A nylon safety cord with a biner clip ensures the rig's safety if pulled-out. I also added a bell to indicate a strike or a nibble.

My favorite type of hooks used for shore casting are BKN type circle hooks. I mostly use VMC, Mutsu & BKN. Factory offsets are my favorites. These are self-setting and rarely breaks. For non-reef topography i use braid mainline. Like muddy, sandy or hard bottom. Areas of structures i use mono. Why? Here are the positive & negatives.

Braid-
1)Casts farther then mono due to thinner line diameter. Less
air resistance.
2)You can get more line on the spool because of it's thinner diameter.
3)Line will not stretch like mono.
4)Can easily fray if it rubs on anything.
5)Hard to use when using slides (even when the line is wet, you'd have
to "bounce" it down).

Monofilament-
1)Can't cast as far as braid due to it's thicker diameter, more air
resistance.
2)Can't get more line on the spool when compared to braid, so most
anglers will use braid backing with a mono top shot.
3)Line will stretch on heavy hits, less likely to snap compared to braid.
4)Can resist scratches better then braid.
5)For anglers slide baiting it's the line of choice. Slides are smoother
sliding on mono. Some sliders use a top shot of mono to a backing
of braid. This way you have more line capacity compared to straight
mono & the mono top shot will resist cuts better then braid-less
chance of the line snapping. Best of both worlds.

Fluorocarbon-
1)Extremely expensive, thinner diameter when compared to mono of
the same strength. Can hold more line on the spool compared to
mono, but less then braid.
2)Popular for leader line. Scratch resistant clear strong line. Stiff, not
as pliable as mono. Serious light tackle users prefer fluoro.

As with all forms of sports you have to discover your own game. Will i slide, cast, plug, drift, etc. What species will i target? Fresh or saltwater? Fly-fishing? Carping? Trolling? Bottom fishing? Grubs? Jigs? Floats? It's unfortunate for me that i do everything. Means i'm always broke now. Lol.

If you read this far it means you're keeping your options open & deciding on what style to develop over time. For me i love casting out a few lines, then start whipping lighter rigs within earshot of my rigs bells. Fishing is relaxing & challenging. I wish everyone good luck & please stay safe out there